
H 



ANDY 
ELPS 




H OW TO DO THING S 

A COLLECTION OF 

Useful l)im$ and Suggestions 

For tHe Hotise-wife. 



Valuable alike to 
the young bride 
and the gray 
haired matron. 



COPYRIGHTED 190* BY MARSH i DAVI 



Man is Ptibhshing Company (not inc.) 

^11 Madison Street 

C/iicas:o. 



fuBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Receivfcci 
APR 3 6 1904 
Copyrlgrht Entry 

CLASS C^ XXc. No. 

? 5-2. ^ -2- 
COPY B 



^X'^.*^ 

(A-^ 




HOME HELPS. 



Asbestos Fads. — The value of asbestos pads 
to protect the polished surface of dining 
tables is now fully appreciated. When a cloth 
is used the entire table is covered with an 
asbestos pad, covered with double-faced can- 
ton flannel to make it soft and noiseless. 

A convenient pad of this description is of- 
fered in housefurnishing stores. It is to be 
had in various shapes and sizes, and is so 
prepared that it folds in convenient lines to 
lay away in a drawer when not in use. Doil- 
ies in which asbestos mats may be slipped 
are also convenient and useful. 

Bath Tubs. — For cleaning enameled baths, 
zinc tubs, etc,, use a paste made of equal 
quantities of shaved yellow soap, whiting and 
soda, dissolved over the fire with the smallest 
quantity of water required to keep it from 
burning. 

Blankets. — When washing blankets make a 
lather of boiled soap and tepid water and 
allow a teaspoonful of household ammonia 
for every pailful and a half of water. Wash 
them in two or three waters, put them through 
the wringer and hang out to dry. Choose a 
fine, windy day for this work, as blankets 
spoil by being kept damp. 

Bottles — To Cleanse. — Make a lye by boiling 
equal quantities of soda and quicklime. When 
cold, put this in the bottles with some peb- 
bles, and shake well. Set the bottles to drain 
thoroughly, then warm them, and blow inside 
with a pair of bellows to absorb all moist- 
ure. 



4 Home Helps 

Brooms.— It may not be generally known 
that brooms will wear better and longer If 
kept clean, than if allowed to remain un- 
cleansed throughout their span of existence. 
Twice a week, at least, a much-used broom 
should be dipped into a kettle of boiling 
suds, afterward being rinsed in cold water 
run from the faucet. This operation not only 
cleanses the broom, but makes it at once 
pliable and tough. Carpets retain their pile 
and tinting far longer when swept with clean 
brooms; hence, for this reason, if for no 
other, the process is entirely worth while. 

A small whisk broom, clipped obliquely so 
as to make one side of it pointed, is the only 
implement to use when sweeping the corners 
of rooms or stairways, as by no other method 
can every particle of dust be so effectually 
removed. 

Don't stand brooms on their brom end, but 
upside down in the corner 

Brushes — To Keep Clean. — Hair brushes 
may be cleaned as follows: Dissolve a piece 
of soda in some hot water, allowing a piece 
the size of a walnut to a quart of water. 
Put the water into a basin, and after comb- 
ing out the hair from the brushes, dip them, 
bristles downward, into the water and out 
again, keeping the backs and handles as free 
from the water as possible. Repeat this until 
the bristles look clean; then rinse the brushes 
in a little cold water; shake well, and wipe 
the handles and backs with a towel; but not 
the bristles, and set the brushes to dry iti 
the sun, or near the flre; but take care not 
to put them too close to it. Wiping the bristles 
of a brush makes them soft, as does also the 
use of soap. 

Bugfs. — If, as is frequently the case, even 
in the best regulated families, the beds be- 
come infested with occupants that do not be- 
long there they may be exterminated by a 
free use of kerosene. If one has a carelews 



Home Helps 5 

neighbor, as is apt to be the case in an 
apartment house, baseboards, window sills and 
the springs of the bed should be wiped off 
with oil at least once a week as a preventive. 
Applied liberally about the kitchen sink, boil- 
er and pipes, cockroaches and water bugs may- 
be defied, eVen in an old house. 

Birds. — Caged birds are frequently much 
troubled with insects in their eyes. It will 
be found that hanging a small bag of sulphur 
in the cage will prevent these insects worry- 
ing the birds, and will also improve their 
health in other ways. 

Buttons.— In sewing on buttons, if the knot 
is placed on the right side of the cloth, di- 
rectly under the button, the thread will be 
less liable to break and become loosened, 
and the button will remain on longer. 

Cement. — Common alum melted in an iron 
spoon over the fire forms a good cement 
for joining glass and iron together. It is 
useful for holding the glass reservoir of a 
lamp to its metal base and for stopping 
cracks about the base. Its great merit for 
this purpose is that paraffin will not pene- 
trate it. 

Cereals. — Cereals should be emptied in their 
proper receptacles of tin or glass and closely 
covered to prevent insects getting in. Coffee 
should go immediately into an airtight can- 
ister in order to keep its aroma. Olive oil 
should be put into a cool, dark place, and 
salt, soap and cheese in dry places. 

Chamois. — Wash chamois leather in luke- 
warm soap suds and finally rinse in slightly 
soapy water of the same temperature, for 
washing leather in clear water causes it to 
harden. Dry in the air and not near a fire. 

Chapped Hands. — For chapped hands heat 
one ounce of cocoa butter and one ounce of 
sweet almond oil in a double boiler. Stir 



6 Home Helps 

till thoroughly blended, then add one dram 
each of oxide of zinc and of borax, drop by- 
drop. When cool add a few drops of per- 
fume. Rub some of this cream into the hands, 
then pull on some loose kid gloves. If the 
finger tips are cut off and a circle cut out 
of the palm the results will be happier, as 
covering the hands tightly tends to make 
them yellow and ugly. 

China. — China with gilding on it should 
never be washed with water containing soda, 
for the soda will soon take off the gilding. 
Soap will answer the purpose of soda per- 
fectly, and will do no damage. 

Clothing* Tips. — In putting away dainty 
summer chiffons if a little extra care is 
taken they will come out of their seclusion 
next spring quite fresh and ready to be 
worn again. Silk parasols should have loose 
rolls of tissue paper between the folds to 
prevent the silk from splitting. Deep blue 
paper as an outside wrapping will prevent 
white silk from turning yellow, it is said. 
To keep lace white lay it in a box and sprinkle 
magnesia through its folds. This will remove 
oily stains. The magnesia easily shakes out. 

By hanging a creased cloth jacket or skirt 
on a line over the bathtub, closing tlie win- 
dows and doors and turning on the hot water 
till the room is full of steam, I find I can 
remove the wrinkles from the garments, a 
clever housekeeper writes. The clothing must 
be left for two hours hanging in the vapor, 
and then placed in the fresh air to dry. The 
process is simple and practicable for any one, 
and better in many cases than pressing. 

To clean trousers without washing take a 
square of dry pipe clay, rub it well over the 
trousers and allow it to remain for a couple 
of hours. Then brush off. when the garment 
should look fresh and clean. If grease spots 
remain take them o\it with a hot iron, applied 
Over a clean piece of blottinp- paper or brown 



Home Helps 7 

paper. If this method fails then try benzine, 
applying: it with a flannel cloth. 

Dip children's frocks, pinafores, etc., in a 
solution of alum after they have been washed, 
for thus you will render them non-inflam- 
mable. 

Very wet boots should be filled with dry 
cats and set aside for a few hours. The oats 
will absorb . the moisture and, swelling out, 
will prevent the leather shrinking and the 
boots hardening, as they would if put near 
the fire to dry. 

Clinkers in Stoves, To Remove. — When the 
firebricks have become covered with clinkers 
which have fused and adhered they may be 
cleaned by throwing oyster or clam shells 
in the firebox when the fire is very hot 
and allowing the fire to go out. The clink- 
ers will generally cleave off without the use 
of much force the next morning. From 1 
quart to a peck will be sufficient for most 
stoves, and the operation can be repeated 
if some of the clinkers still adhere. Salt 
sprinkled on clinkers adhering to firebrick will 
also loosen them. 

Coal Oil, To Remove. — Cover the spot with 
finely powdered chalk or cornmeal; lay a 
paper over it and rub it over with a mod- 
erately heated iron. Two or three applica- 
tions are all that is necessary. 

Cockroaches. — Mix together thoroughly 1 
pound of powdered sugar, 1 pound of pow- 
dered borax and 10 cents' worth of paris 
green; put in all places which they infest 
with a puffer or blower. 

Coffee. — Coffee is the easiest thing in the 
trade to adulterate, even whole coffee being 
open to suspicion. That which is sold ground 
at 40 cents a pound is frequently half chicory, 
the latter being worth about 8 cents. While 
chicory improves the flavor of coffee, accord- 
ing to most tastes, it defrauds the buyer in 



d Home Helps 

point of value. As the coffee bean improves 
with age, it is a good plan, when sure of a 
pure article, to buy in bulk, then roast and 
grind as needed. 

Coffee is best when made in a pot which 
merely allows the water to pass through the 
pulverized berry. 

Curtains. — To tint lace curtains cream color 
add an ounce of yellow ochre to two ounces 
of starch and mix in the usual way with boil- 
ing water. Strain the starch to clear it of 
lumps. It is best to soak a pair of curtains 
at the same time, for, thus one can insure 
both being of the same shade of color. 

Linen curtains of a cream color may be 
cleaned by rubbing with powdered bath brick 
and a piece of flannel. 

Cookingr Tips. — It is said that a crust of 
bread put in the water spinach, beet tops, 
dandelions, etc., are being boiled in not only 
prevents a disagreeable odor from arising but 
imparts an added delicacy to the vegetable 
as well. 

A little flour sprinkled lightly over the top 
of a cake will aid in preventing the icing 
from running off. 

To prevent the odor of boiling ham or 
cabbage throw a few bits of charcoal into 
the pot in which they are cooking. 

If you set a dish of water in the oven when 
the cake is baking you will find that there 
will be no scorching. 

Bacon rinds can be used many ways, so do 
not throw them in the garbage barrel. Wash 
them thoroughly and put them in a jar for 
future use. They make an excellent season- 
ing for greens and some soups, and they are 
often used to give a finishing touch to baked 
and fricasseed chicken. 

Doughnuts or biscuits may be heated 
"amaist as good as new" by putting them in 



Home Helps g 

a whole paper bag, sprinkling in a fer7 drops 
only of water, twisting the ends, putting in 
the oven, raised a little from the bottom on 
a grate. The oven must be very hot. 

When you suspect that your cooking has 
been scorched because you have neglected it 
for just one moment too long, lift the vessel 
holding the food quickly from the fire and 
stand it in a pan of water for a few minutes. 
In almost every case the scorched taste will 
entirely disappear. 

There will be no disagreeable odor during 
the cooking of cabbage or cauliflower if put 
on in cold water to which has been added 
a good pinch of baking soda. They must be 
cooked about twenty minutes after the water 
reaches a boil and the saucepan should be left 
uncovered during the entire process. 

Boiling liquids, jellies or fruits may be 
turned into glass without breaking the vessel 
if you press the bowl of a spoon on the bot- 
tom while filling. 

Boiled cabbage is much sweeter when the 
water is changed in boiling. 

To prevent the smell of cooking from get- 
ting into the house, sprinkle a little cedar 
sawdust on the top of the stove. When milk 
boils over on the stove or in the oven sprinkle 
a thick layer of salt on the burning milk; 
let it remain a few minutes, then brush off. 

In making bread or rolls put a saucepan 
of boiling water into the oven. The steam 
will keep the crust smooth and tender. 

Much of the heavy cake and bread is the 
result of the oven door being banged in clos- 
ing. It should be closed as gently as possi- 
ble. 

After baking a cake stand the tin directly 
you take it from the oven on a cloth which 
has been wrung out of hot water. Leave a 
few minutes and then turn out. The cake will 
come out without any trouble. 



10 Home Helps 

When cooking green vegetables a small 
particle of soda added to the boiling water 
just before putting in the vegetables will 
keep them in fresh color. 

When boiling green vegetables add a lump 
of sugar to the water; it is as effectual as 
soda and perfectly harmless. 

To have custard pie of an even, nice brown 
when baked, sprinkle a little sugar over the 
top just before putting into the oven. 

Cut Plowers. — To preserve cut flowers they 
should be taken out of the vases every day 
and a tiny piece cut off the end of each with 
a sharp knife — not with scissors, as the object 
is to keep the pores of the stem open, and this 
can be done only with a very sharp instru- 
ment. The vase should be kept perfectly 
clean. A small piece of charcoal placed in 
the bottom of the vase will help keep the 
blossoms fresh for many days. The water 
must be changed every day if the vase be 
of clear glass. A pinch of borax may take 
the place of the charcoal. 

Cracks in Ploors. — To stop cracks in floors 
putty is not necessary. A cheap and effective 
substitute for it is made by soaking news- 
paper in a paste made by boiling a pound of 
flour in three quarts of water and adding a 
teaspoonful of powdered alum. This mixture 
should be about the consistency of putty and 
should be forced between the boards with a 
blunt knife. When the compound has dried 
it can be painted to match the boards, and 
if the cracks have been neatly filled up they 
will hardly be perceptible. 

Doors Creaking*. — Rub a little soap or a 
mixture of tallow and black lead on the 
hinges; or apply to them with a feather a 
little sweet or sperm oil once or twice a 
year. 

Dried Fruits should be kept in airtight cans; 
nuts in a cool, dry place to prevent their 



Home Helps ii 

growing rancid, and chocolate, cocoa and co- 
coa-shells in cold storage. Molasses and sirups 
need to be where it is cool. 

Eg-g's. — To test the freshness of eggs pnt 
them into water. A fresli egg remains nt 
the bottom of the basin, a less fresh egr 
floats a little higher, while a really bad egg 
rises to the surface. 

Eggs should be handled carefully so as 
not to break the membrane separating the 
yolk and white, and kept in a dry, cool place. 

A pinch of salt added to the white of an 
egg will facilitate the whipping. 

When cracked eggs have to be boiled a 
little vinegar added to the water will prevent 
the white from boiling out. The acid coagu- 
lates the albumen and stops the leaks. The 
cracks may also be covered with a bit of 
paper wet with the exuding albumen. Noth- 
ing sticks like wliite of egg, and not even 
boiling water will remove the paper. 

It is not generally known that eggs covered 
with boiling water and allowed to stand for 
five minutes are more nourishing and easier 
digested than eggs placed in boiling water 
and allowed to boil furiously for three and 
a half minutes. 

Fish. — To scale fish easily, dip them in 
boiling water. 

Pish Smell. — To remove the fishy smell 
that clings to knives, forks and frying pans 
after a fish dinner, rub all articles used with 
a cut lemon, then wash as usual. 

Zleas. — The oil of pennyroyal will drive 
these insects off, but a cheaper method, where 
the herb grows, is to throw the cat or dog 
whom they infest into a decoction of it once 
a week; when the herb cannot be obtained 
the oil can be used. Saturate cloths with it 
and tie around the necks of dogs and cats. 
These applications should be repeated every 



12 .Home Helps 

twelve or fifteen days. 2. Oil of cloves, 2J4 
drams; carbolic acid, ^ dram; cologne, 3 
ounces; diluted alcohol, 2 ounces; sprinkle 
bedding:, beds, etc. 

Flies. — Place a castor-oil plant in the room 
and the flies will leave. 

Floor Stain. — A cheap floor stain can be 
made by dissolving four ounces of perman- 
ganate of potash in a pint of water. 

Flour. — Flour belongs in a bin or barrel 
raised a few inches from the floor. While 
wheat flour may be obtained in quantity, 
cornmeal or graham flour should only be 
purchased in small quantities and kept in tin 
or glass. 

Frames. — Dingy or rusty gilt picture frames 
may be improved by simply washing tliem 
with a small sponge moistened with spirits 
of wine or oil of turpentine, the sponge only 
to be sufficiently wet to take off the dirt 
and fly. 

Gilt frames may be revived by carefully 
dusting them and washing them with 1 ounce 
of soda beaten up with the whites of three 
eggs. Scraped patches should be touched up 
with gold paint. Castile soap and water, with 
proper care, may be used to clean oil paint- 
ings. Other methods should not be employed 
without some skill. 

Frost on Windows. — People who are troubled 
with the frost on the windows of a cold 
room may keep them transparent by rubbing 
them with glycerin. This will prevent a 
heavy frost forming on them. 

Fruit Stains. — Fruit stains can be removed 
from table linen by pouring boiling water 
over the spots. 

Furniture Polish. — An excellent furniture 
polish is made of equal parts of vinegar and 
salad oil. Apply very sparingly with a piece 



Home Helps 13 

of flannel and polish off thoroughly with 
clean cloths. Don't forget that a great deal 
of the merit of this polish depends on the 
addition by the user of plenty of "elbow 
grease." 

To clean stains and mildew from furni- 
ture take ^ pint of 98 per cent alco- 
hol, ]/i ounce each of pulverized resin and 
gum shellac, add J^4 pint of linseed oil, shake 
well and apply with a brush or sponge. Sweet 
oil will remove finger marks from varnished 
furniture, and kerosene from oiled furniture. 

Purs. — The secret of the life everlasting in 
furs is to keep them as free as possible from 
all contact. After shaking and wiping them 
dry, if they have been out in the rain or 
fog, hang them over the back of a chair, and 
when dry hang up where nothing can touch 
them. If room is wanting for this place on 
a shelf with tissue paper under and over 
them and between each fold. Purs that have 
been wet should never be hung in front of 
a stove or open fire to dry. 

Gas Globes. — Wash gas globes with warm 
soda water and then rub the insides with a 
little powdered pumice stone. Rinse and 
polish with a soft cloth. 

In fitting on gas globes it is a common 
error to screw them too tightly. Room should 
be allowed for the expansion of the glass when 
it has become heated by the gas, otherwise 
a breakage is inevitable. 

Glass, to Clean.^ — 1. — Soda water in water 
will clean glass. 2. Take powdered indigo, 
dip into a moistened linen rag, smear over 
the glass with it, and then wipe it off with 
a perfectly dry cloth or finely-sifted wood 
ashes aplied by a rag dipped in alcohol or 
ammonia will answer just as well. 

Glass. — To prevent windows steaming. — 
Clean the glass occasionally with a cloth 



14 Home Helps 

moistened with pure glycerin, wiping' it so 
as to leave only a trace of the glycerin adher- 
ing- to the surface — this on the inside. 

To clean a glass decanter put into it a few 
lumps of soda and a spoonful of vinegar. 
Shake well, but leave the top open or the 
decanter may burst. Rinse with clear water 
and turn down to drain. 

To cut glass with scissors hold a sheet of 
glass horizontally under water and then cut 
it. as you would a sheet of paper, with a 
strong pair of scissors. The cutting is easily 
accomplished, but it will not be as neatly 
done by a long way as with a diamond. 

To imitate frosted glass dissolve Epsom 
salts in beer, and apply to tlie window with 
a brush. As tlie solution dries it crystallizes 
and may be varnished. 

To remove panes of glass lay soft soap 
over the putty whicli holds tliem, and after 
a few hours the putty, however hard, will 
become soft and easy to scrape away. 

Crloves. — Rub light gloves with fine bread 
crumbs after each time of wearing. If you 
allow them to get very dirty home cleaning 
is seldom a success, but tr*)ated in this way 
they will look nice for quite a long time. 

Suede gloves can be cleaned by rubbing 
them over with oatmeal. 

Emery paper is good to clean undressed 
kid gloves. It should be very fine and should 
be used with great care, as undressed kid is 
so tender. 

Kid gloves may be cleaned, when slightly 
soiled, with a small piece of oiled silk wound 
tightly about the finger and rubbed vigorously 
over the surface of the glove. 

Never throw away old gloves. Keep them 
to wear while dusting, cleaning silver and 
attending to other household work of a simi- 
lar character. By so doing the hands will be 
kept clean and in good condition. 



Home Helps 15 

Crlae. — A good waterprof glue is made thus: 
Boil four ounces of the best glue in a pint 
of skim milk. Use it in the ordinary way. 

Glycerin. — Glycerin is very slow to freeze, 
and if a little is put on taps in frosty weath- 
er, and exposed pipes are covered with pieces 
of old carpet or sacking, the water is not 
likely to freeze. 

Gnats. — The best preventive against gnats, 
as well as the best cure for their stings, is 
camphor. 

Gold Chains, To Clean. — I^et the article re- 
quired to be cleaned stand for some time in 
a solution of caustic potash until all the 
adhering dirt is removed. 

Grass Stains on clothing should be rubbed 
with spirits of wine, and then the stains will 
readily come out if washed with soap and 
water. 

Grease, To Kemove Grease From Carpets 
and Floor Cloths. — Aqua ammonia, 2 ounces; 
soft water, 1 quart; saltpeter, 1 teaspoonful; 
soap shavings, 1 ounce; mix well; shake and 
let it stand 24 hours before using to dissolve 
the soap; when used pour on enough to cov- 
er any grease or oil that has been spilled, 
spraying and rubbing well, and apply again 
if necessary; then wash off with clean cold 
water. 

Soda and hot water will remove grease spots 
from the kitchen floor. 

Grease Eraser. — Benzine, alcohol, ether, 
equal parts; mix; apply with sponge (patting 
the spot) ; put a piece of blotting paper on 
each side and iron with a hot flatiron. 

Gutta Percha.— To clean gutta-percha, rub 
it with a mixture of soap and powdered char- 
coal and polish it with a dry cloth. 

Ha.ir. — The right way to brush the hair is 



i6 Home B«lps 

to grasp the brush firmly with the right and 
the hair loosely with the left hand, and brush 
with a slow, gliding motion, every strand 
being brushed up and down, right, left in 
semicircles from the forehead to the center 
of the head. Diet has much to do with the 
condition of the hair. Vegetables and cereals 
are hair tonics. Too much meat and milk 
cause atrophy of the roots. Of course, the 
hair comes out as a result of this condition. 

Ink. — In removing ink stains from a car- 
pet if they have become dry the best plan is 
to rub them with milk, taking fresh as it 
becomes inky. The spot should afterward be 
washed with ammonia water to remove the 
grease. Fresh ink stains on a carpet should 
be taken up as far as possible with blotting 
paper to prevent their spreading, or salt may 
be put on them for the same purpose. The 
salt will absorb the ink and it can then be 
swept up. 

Ink stains, if fresh, will soak out in milk: 
if, however, they have been allowed to dry 
the application of oxalic acid or salts of 
lemon will be necessary. 

Ink spots on floors may be removed by 
rubbing with wet sand dipped in oil of vit- 
riol and water; when the ink is removed rinse 
with pearl-ash water. Ink stains on furni- 
ture — mahogany, rosewood, walnut, etc. — 
may be removed by touching the stain with 
a feather dipped in a spoonful of water with 
six or eight drops of niter in it. Great care 
must be taken, however, to wipe the stained 
place immediately it disappears with a cloth 
wet in cold water, or the niter will leave a 
white mark. If this is inefficacious repeat 
the operation with a slightly stronger solu- 
tion. White stains on varnished furniture can 
generally be removed by holding a hot plate 
over but not touching them. 

To remove ink stains from the leaves of 
a book, damp them with a little oxalic acid 



Home Helps 17 

or tartaric acid, diluted with water. This 
will destroy the stains without injuring the 
print. 

Iron Holder. — Linen crash, blue denim and 
ticking are the best possible fabrics for cov- 
ering iron holders. Make them removable 
by basting one end together and occasionally 
put them in the family wash. Beeswax for 
smoothing sadirons should be tied in a piece 
of white muslin to prevent waste. 

Ivory. — To clean the ivory handles of knives 
mix equal parts of ammonia and olive oil 
and add to this enough prepared chalk to 
make a paste. With this rub the ivory and 
let it dry before brushing it off. Several ap- 
plications of the paste may be necessary. 

Jet Trimming's can be made quite new- 
looking by being laid for twenty minutes or 
so in a basin containing equal parts of vine- 
gar and water. Remove from the basin and 
dry in a cool place. 

Kerosene applied with a flannel cloth, is 
most efficacious in removing discolorations in 
metal or porcelain tubs. These are often oc- 
casioned by the mineral properties contained 
in the water, but sometimes by a lack of 
daily care. In either event a brisk applica- 
tion of kerosene will effectually remove all 
trace of them. 

Kettles may be thoroughly cleaned by boil- 
ing potato peelings in them. 

To prevent the formation of crust inside 
kettles put in a small, well-scrubbed oyster 
shell. 

To make tin kettles, etc., as bright a.-: new, 
rub them with a woolen rag dipped in paraf- 
fin. Polish with a soft newspaper. Paraffin 
will hlso remove stains from varnished fur- 
niture. 

Knife Cleaning" may easily be performed by 



i8 Home Helps 

rubbing- the knives over with a slice of potato 
and then polishing them with brick dust. 

Stained knife blades should be rubbed with 
a cut raw potato, dipped in knife powder or 
bath brick, and then polished in the usual 
manner. 

l^ace. — If lace is ironed directly after wash- 
ing, first under a cloth, finishing off with 
nothing between it and the iron, there is no 
need to starch it. Ironing while wet gives 
it just tlie right amount of stiffness. 

To clean gold lace or embroidery use spir- 
its of wine tliat has been made warm. 

IiaccLuer Work. — To clean lacquer work rub 
with lemon juice, then with clean cloths till 
dry and polished. 

Iiamp Chimneys. — To clean lamp chimneys 
rub them with newspapers on which a little 
kerosene has been poured. This will make 
them much cleaner than if soap and water is 
used, and also make them less liable to 
crack. 

Iiard should be kept in a tin and in a cool 
place. 

Laundry Hints. — Borax in the water will 
make fine fiannels look new and will not shrink 
them. 

A little table salt in starch helps in the 
ironing. 

If the starch is mixed with soapy water it 
makes a glossy surface on the article. 

A good bluing can be made at home with 
one ounce of powdered indigo, one-half ounce 
of powdered oxalic acid and one quart of 
soft water. This should be well mixed. A 
tablespoonful is enough for one ordinary- 
sized tub. 

Irons should be frequently washed in hot 
soapsuds and thoroughly dried. 



Home Helps ig 

To prevent scorching, rub the iron on a 
cloth saturated with kerosene. 

An iron rubbed frequently on sandpaper 
will keep it from sticking. 

A holder made from asbestos cloth is the 
best kind to use. 

Irons once having been red hot never again 
retain heat. 

Flatirons should be set on end when ^ put 
away. 

A tablespoonful of the following solution 
will make a splendid lather to wash clothes 
in: In two quarts of hot water dissolve three 
ounces of borax and then add two pounds of 
sliced white bar soap. 

To remove the stains from clothing rub 
witli lard before washing. The yolk of an 
egg rubbed on stains on wasliable goods be- 
fore laundering will remove spots. 

Turpentine added to starch in the propor- 
tion of a teaspoonful to each quart adds 
whiteness and gloss to tlie ironed article. 

When making starch use soapy water. The 
clothes will have a more glossy appearance 
and the ironing will be more easily accom- 
plished. 

Never put a table linen that has fruit stains 
into hot soapsuds. It sets the stain. 

For starching muslins, ginghams and cali- 
coes dissolve a piece of alum the size of a 
hickory nut for every pint of starch. This 
will keep the colors bright for a long time. 

For laundry use kerosene is very effectual 
in whitening clothes. A half teacupful in 
a boiler of clothes will produce a most satis- 
factory result. Yet care must be exercised 
when using this explosive material. 

When bluing clothes if boiling water is 
poured over pure indigo tied in a thin bag — 
indigo can be bouglit at the druggist's — 
and the liquid thus obtained poured into a 



20 Home Helps 

tub of clear water, the household linen will 
have the pearly tint of new clothes. Indigo 
tints without dyeing and leaves no blue 
streaks and mysterious spots of iron rust, 
which often appear after using the ordinary 
bluing bag. 

The Chinese silk blouses with entredeux 
and insertions of imitation Valenciennes that 
are worn so much wash perfectly. All that 
is necessary is lukewarm water and white 
casfcile soap. Instead of rubbing dip a blouse 
up and down in the suds and squeeze gently. 
Wlien nearly dry press it on tlie wrong side. 

Black stockings will retain their color if 
washed in warm suds of soap and water, with 
a little vinegar in the rinse. 

Iieather. — Orange juice will polish patent 
leather. 

Iiime. — Liime in abundance is the house- 
wife's stand-by for a general purifying agent. 
Not merely the sprinkling of a little lime in 
the tightly closed cellar and storerooms of 
winter time, and tlie wliitewashing of serv- 
ants' quarters and the cellar at the time of 
the spring housecleaning. but a weekly appli- 
cation or a weekly filling of generous lime- 
pots. After cleaning the pantry or sweeping 
the cellar, set a small jar of lime on a pantry 
shelf and a larger jar or pot of the same 
purifying material on the cellar shelves and 
in the dark corners, and the whole house will 
be benefited by this precaution. 

Ziinoleum. — Never scrub linoleum. Clean it 
by rubbing on a mixture of olive oil and 
vinegar in equal parts. 

Meat. — Tough meat may be made tender by 
laying it a few minutes in vinegar water. 

Milk. — Before boiling milk rinse out the 
saucepan with a little hot water; it will pre- 
vent the milk sticking to the bottom of the 
pan. 



Home Helps az 

A pinch of soda stirred into milk that is 
to be boiled will keep it from curdling. 

Oil. — Burning oil cannot be extinguished by- 
water. The water only serves to spread the 
flames. The right thing to do is to throw 
down flour, sand or earth. Thus the area of 
the conflagration is limited and the flre ex- 
tinguished. 

Oil Stove. — For the warming of a small sit- 
ting room or a bedroom an oil stove is a 
most useful acquisition. It is so easy to carry 
from one place to another, so convenient to 
have ready to light just when wanted and 
to put out immediately if it is no longer re- 
quired. Nevertheless it has its disadvantages; 
sometimes the smell and fumes are most un- 
pleasant. This arises from carelessness in 
managing it and from not keeping it in good 
condition. Like all machinery, an oil stove 
demands constant cleaning, and it must be 
done regularly. Clean it and refill it every 
time after using; if oil or dirt clog in it it 
must smell disagreeably when lighted. Al- 
ways turn the wick down to extinguish it 
and leave it turned down until lighted again. 
Do not cut the wick, but pinch off the charred 
top with a piece of soft paper or rag, being 
oarcful not to let any of the bits drop down 
on the sides of the wick, the case holding 
this being thoroughly cleaned and rubbed in- 
side and out each time the stove is used. If 
a crust has formed around the top scrape it 
off at once. 

Onions. — To prevent the eyes from smart- 
ing when paring onions place the onions in 
a bowl of water and peel them while you hold 
them in it. 

Ovens. — In all houses the oven should be 
well scrubbed out after cooking, with hot 
soda water and soap. Any hard substance 
whicli is caked on to the baking sheets should 
be scraped off with an old knife. It is really 



22 Eome Kelps 

very simple to have the oven scrubbed out 
while it is still hot, after baking a joint, etc., 
and many disagreeable smells are avoided by 
this practice. For the purpose a long brush, 
such as is used to clean carriage wheels, is 
useful. "With it the back wall of an oven 
can easily be reached and the danger of 
burnt hands avoided. 

Paint.— Old paint and varnish may be re- 
moved by an emulsion formed of two parts 
of ammonia shaken up with one part of tur- 
pentine. It will sol ten them so they may 
easily be scraped off. 

White paint when dirty should be washed 
in milk. Colored paints may also be treated 
in the same way. 

The smell of fresh paint can be removed 
by leaviiig in the room all night a pail of 
water containing several sliced onions. 

Piano Polish. — Take equal proportions of 
turpentine, linseed oil and vinegar; mix; rub 
in well with a piece of flannel cloth. Then 
polish with a piece of chamois skin. This 
treatment will entirely remove the dingy ap- 
pearance that age gives to fine woods. 

Portieres. — It is w^ell to remove the por- 
tieres occasionally and give them a good clean- 
ing. If they are placed on a curtain stretcher 
and swept with a whislc broom it will improve 
their appearance and keep them from looking 
dingy during the winter. 

Raisins. — When many raisins are put into 
cakes, pies or puddings, good housekeepers 
often use both malagas and sultanas, half 
and half. The malagas are much sweeter and 
finer flavored than sultanas. The difference 
is said to be that sultanas are cured from 
green grapes that have not yet formed their 
seed, while the malaga raisins are dried from 
the fully ripened fruit. 

Before beginning to seed raisins cover them- 



Home Helps 23 

with hot water and let them stand fifteen 
minutes. The seeds can then be removed 
easily. 

Rubber, To Restore Elasticity of. — Use a 

simple mixture composed of 1 part of aqua 
ammonia with 2 parts of water. 

Rugfs. — A connoisseur in rugs advises that 
rugs be washed at least once a year. "Wash 
some of j^our treasures," he says, "and you 
will wonder at their real g'lory and color." 
Good soap will do wonders in bringing the 
original beauty back to a rug if the cleaner 
will remember to stroke the rug softly with 
the soap while the rug is^ drying. 

Rust on Tin. — If tinware is well rubbed 
with lard and then with common unslaked 
lime before being put away it will never rust; 
this is also the best plan to remove rust. 
2. Rub fresh lard on every part, then put it 
in an oven and heat it thoroughly; thus 
treated any tinware may be used in water 
constantly and remain bright and free from 
rust indefinitely. 

Salt. — To keep salt so it can be easily 
shaken from the cruet, mix 1 teaspoonful of 
corn starch with each cup of salt. This 
will prove effectual. 

Salt rubbed on the black spots on dishes 
will remove them, and salt placed over a 
fresh claret stain on the table linen will 
assist it to disappear when washed. 

It is said that salt placed under baking 
tins in the oven will prevent their contents 
from scorching on the bottom. Salt and vin- 
egar will remove tea stains from china. 

Screws, to Iioosen. — One of the simplest and 
readiest ways of loosening a rusted screw is 
to apply heat to the head of the screw. A 
small bar or rod of iron, flat at the end, if 
reddened in the fire and applied for two or 
three minutes to the head of the rusty screw 



24 Home Helps 

will, as soon as it heats the screw, render its 
withdrawal as easy by the screw-driver as 
if the screw had only recently been inserted. 
As there is a kitchen poker in every house, 
that instrument, if heated at its extremity 
and applied, for a few minutes to the head of 
the screw or screws, will do the work of loos- 
ening; an ordinary screw-driver will do the 
rest without causing the least damage, trou- 
ble or vexation of spirit. 

Sewing* Machine. — If your sewing machine 
works heavily oil it thoroughly with paraffin. 
This will remove all dirt and grit, but it 
must be afterward wiped off carefully, and 
the machine must then be oiled with the 
ordinary lubricating oil. Never use paraffin 
as a lubricant or yovi will cause your ma- 
chine to wear out before its time. 

Sheets. — Sheets folded across the wide and 
narrow hems brouglit together, tlien folded 
again, and well mangled, are quickly finished 
and look as well as if more time and trouble 
were spent on them. 

Shoes. — White satin shoes may be easily 
cleaned at home. Stuff out the shoe in any 
shape and rub it gently with a soft cloth 
dipped in methylated spirit, repeating till 
clean. Dry with a clean, soft cloth. 

Shoe Iiaces. — To prevent shoe laces from 
coming untied, wax them before putting them 
into the shoes; the slight trouble is well worth 
while. 

Silk. — A piece of flannel is very much bet- 
ter than a brush for removing dust from silk. 

To make silk that has been washed look 
like new put a teaspoonful of methylated 
spirits to a pint in the rinsing water and 
Iron while damp. 

Silver. — One of the simplest means of clean- 
ing silver that has become badly blackened 
by gas or time is to mix a teaspoonful of 



Home Helps Z5 

ammonia with a cup of water and use a 
little of this liquid to form a paste with whit- 
ing. Polish the article to be cleaned with 
the paste, using a soft chamois to apply it 
and another to dry it. 

Soap. — That toilet soaps are not good as a 
shampoo for the hair is the verdict of a hair 
specialist. "Don't you know," he says, "that 
soap was first used as a hair bleach? Soap — 
any kind and the best kind — possesses bleach- 
ing qualities still along with its cleansing pro- 
pensities, and unless you want your locks to 
fade and lose their luster — bleach, in other 
words — you will eschew toilet soaps in this 
capacity. Of course, tar soaps and the other 
soaps that are prepared especially for sham- 
poo purposes are quite a different matter." 

Soap should never be used for washing pud- 
ding cloths. 

That toilet soaps may be bought in quan- 
tity as advantageously as laundry soaps is 
the opinion of a soap manufacturer. Fine 
toilet soaps, he says, need drying and ripen- 
ing just as much as the coarser varieties 
of the laundry. 

Soot. — Tf soot falls upon the carpet cover 
it thickly with dry salt. You will then be 
able to sweep it up without leaving smears 
or stains. 

Spongres, to Clean. — The following is a very 
simple and certain way of cleaning sponges 
from grease or any other impurities: Take 
some soda and break it up; measure about 
3 tablespoonfuls, put it (as much as you can) 
into the holes of the sponge, and keep the 
rest; then fill a large jug with boiling wdter 
and immediately put in your sponge and all 
your soda; cover over and leave it standing 
for about 12 hours; after you rinse it well 
you will see the sponge look almost like 
a new one. 

To keep a sponge in a good condition wash 



26 Home Helps 

it occasionally with warm water containing 
a little tartaric acid; rinse afterward with 
clean warm water. 

Starch. — Boiled starch is much improved 
by the" addition of a little salt or dissolved 
gum arable. A useful thing to remember is 
that the iron will not stick to the clothes if 
the starch used has been mixed with soapy 
water. 

Hot water starch is very easily made. Mix 
with enough cold water to make a cream one 
tablespoonful of starch, half a teaspoonful of 
borax and a quarter of teaspoonful of finely 
shredded tallow candle or wax. Add enough 
boiling water to cook the starch, and pour 
on boiling wator, mixing thoroughly till the 
starch is clear. 

As starch is very apt to rot clothes they 
should be washed, rough dried without starch 
and pressed out smoothly when they are laid 
away for the winter. 

Stoves. — Fine coal ashes are most useful 
for cleaning the bright spots of the kitchen 
range and the fender. Dip a piece of slightly 
damp flannel in the aslies, scour the steel 
and a brilliant polish will result. 

When lighting a gas stove it will often 
give a slight explosion and light wrong, thus 
giving no heat. Turn the gas off very quickly 
ad on again. It will then light properly with- 
out any further trouble. 

The bars of a grate often have a burned 
appearance, which prevents their taking a 
good polish. This difficulty is soon overcome. 
Before applying the black lead rub the bars 
with a piece of lemon and they will be quite 
easy to polish well afterward. 

Wlien cleaning the bars of a new or rough 
stove, if they are first rubbed over with a 
cloth dipped in vinegar and water the black 
lead will be found to adhere, and a brilliant 
polish will be the result. 



Home Helps 27 

A crumpled-up newspaper forms an excel- 
lent rubber for the kitchen stove, and if it 
be used to wipe off water, or anything else 
which may happen to boil over, it will be 
found that the regular cleaning and polishing 
will be less often needed and more easily 
accomplished. A newspaper rubber is also 
an excellent substitute for a leather or a 
duster when one is cleaning windows; it gives 
a good polish and saves the wear and tear of 
cloths. 

Tea Iieaves. — Tea leaves are most useful 
for sprinkling over carpets before sweeping, 
for they gatlier up the dust and prevent its 
spoiling tlie furniture of the room. To avoid 
danger of staining the carpet put the tea 
leaves into a colander, pour clear water 
through them and squeeze them dry as possi- 
ble. 

Teapot. — A teapot which is only occasionally 
used should be dried as thoroughly as possi- 
ble, and should then have a lump or two of 
sugar placed in it before it is put away. This 
will prevent the pot acquiring a musty smell. 

Tea Stains. — Tea stains can be removed by 
soaking the fabric in milk. If the stain is 
on a carpet or any other material that does 
not wash let the milk dry on and the grease 
stain can be easily removed with benzine or 
naphtha. 

Tinware. — To mend tinware by the heat of 
a candle. — Take a phial about two-thirds full 
of muriatic acid and put into it bits of sheet 
zinc as long as it dissolves them; then put 
in a crumb of sal ammoniac and fill up with 
water, and it is ready for use. Then, with 
the cork of the phial, wet the place to be 
mended with the preparation; then put a piece 
of zinc over the hole and hold a lighted candle 
or spirit lamp under the place, which melts 
the solder on the tin, and causes the zinc to 
adhere without further trouble. Wet the 



28 Home Helps 

zinc also with the solution; or a little solder 
maj' be put on instead of the zinc or with 
the zinc. 

To keep tins bright, wash well with str^ong 
hot soda and water; when dry, polish with 
a cloth and a little powdered whiting. 

To make labels stick to tin, use a paste 
made with flour as usual, but containing a 
little honey. 

Tumblers that have been used for milk 
should never be put into hot water until they 
have first been rinsed in cold water. The 
heat drives the milk in and gives a cloudy 
appearance to the glass, which cannot be 
removed. 

Varnisli Stains. — To remove varnish stains 
from the hands rub with a little methylated 
spirit, wipe off with a piece of rag or soft 
paper, then wash with soap and water. 

Vineffar. — A little vinegar added to the 
water in which fish is boiled will make the 
flesh firmer and whiter. 

Wall Paper. — The following is a most ex- 
cellent and simple method of cleaning wall 
paper, and can be used with confidence in 
every house. Take 1 quart of flour and stir 
in 5 cents' worth of ammonia and enough 
water to make a stiff dough; work and knead 
until smooth, then wipe the paper with this 
batch of dough, working it so that a clean 
surface will be presented with every stroke. 
Go over the paper in this way and your paper 
will be clean. 

Water. — Don't use any but rain water or 
distilled water. Rain water is, in fact, the 
only water fit to wash the face with. Many 
beauties of romance owed their charms to its 
saving virtues. It keeps the skin soft and 
velvety and makes beauty last as long as 
life itself. 



Home Helps 29 

Water Pipes. — Freezing pipes may be pre- 
v^ented during the frosty weather by a little 
3are and forethought. Before going to bed 
make up the kitchen fire with cinders well 
damped and coal dust in alternate layers. 
Press the top well down, pull out the hot 
water tap slightly, so that a tiny stream of 
water may flow all night. This keeps it cir- 
culating, and the slow fire prevents it freez- 
ing. 

vrhitewash. — A whitewash that will not 
easily wash or rub off may be made of ten 
parts of slacked lime added to one part of 
the best hydraulic cement, the whole mixed 
well with salt water. It should be applied 
thin. This recipe has the sanction of our own 
national government, which has had large 
experience in whitewashes. 

Window Fanes, to Prost.— Take Epsom salts 
md dissolve in beer. Apply with a brush, and 
you have the finest window frosting known. 

Woodwork. — Ammonia painted over wood- 
work will deepen its color. 

Wood alcohol rvibbed on a polished table 
stained or marred by a hot dish will restore 
the finish if followed by a polishing with lin- 
seed oil. The odor of wood alcohol is not 
pleasing, but it is cheaper than the medicinal 
alcohol. 

For washing boards, kitchen tables, etc., 
the following mixture is excellent: Take one 
pound of fuller's earth; half a pound of soap 
md a quarter of a pound of soda. Mix to 
1 paste with boiling water. No other soap 
svill be required when this is used. 

Woolens. — "The proper way to dry wool- 
ins," says a large manufacturer of woolen 
?oods, "is to hang the garments on the line 
Gripping wet without wringing out at all. 
rf dried in this way the shrinkage will be 
30 slight as to be almost unnoticeable." 



30 Home Helps 

]|lIISCZ:i.IiAlTEOUS SEImTS. 

Tarnished steel ornaments should first be 
soaked in paraffin and then rubbed with 
emery. An old tooth brush will be found 
useful for applying the emery. Polish with 
leather. 

Old towels may be made to renew their 
youth, says an economic housewife, by cut- 
ting them through the center and sewing the 
two outside edges together. The raison d'etre 
of this is that the towels get thin down 
the center long before the sides are worn. 

Don't forget to have a high stool in the 
kitchen, and thus save yourself a great deal 
of unnecessary strain of back and limbs, when 
ironing, washing dishes, cleaning silver, pre- 
paring vegetables, etc. Not only will your 
back be less tired, but your brain will grow 
less weary. What strains the back over- 
works the nerves. 

You may not be beautiful, but there is not 
the smallest reason why you should not be 
attractive. The plainest of women may cause 
people to forget her want of beauty by mak- 
ing the most of such good points as she has, 
by the careful dressing of her hair, and by 
her choice of suitable and becoming costume, 
and above all by her general neatness and 
daintiness. 

Before cleaning out a fireplace sprinkle a 
good handful of tea leaves among the ashes. 
This makes the ashes lift more easily, and 
prevents the dust from flying about the room. 

It is a good idea to put a little shot in the 
bottom of tall vases. Then they are not so 
liable to be knocked over by careless hands. 

Don't dry the face with a rough towel if 
you want to keep the skin smooth; instead, 
use a fine damask one, and "dabble" the face 
with it. This preserves the delicate appear- 
ance of the skin. 



Home Helps 31 

The health of a family depends very largely 
on the cleanliness of the home. 

To prevent stoppers of smelling- bottles get- 
ting fixed, rub them lightly with vaseline. 

Don't dry the face with a rough towel if 
you want to keep the skin smooth; instead 
use a fine damask one, and "dabble" the face 
with it. This preserves the delicate appear- 
ance of the skin. 

A flurried hostess or nervous host whose 
countenance betrays the anxiety felt can do 
more toward making the guests uncomforta- 
ble than if the soup were stone cold and the 
salad dressing were ruined by a too bountiful 
quantity of vinegar.. An imperturbable calm 
and a ready tact are the most important 
qualities in the making of a hostess. Secure 
these and you need never fear for the success 
of any of your entertainments. There is no 
quality more to be desired to make a woman 
a social success than that of tact. Its pos- 
sessor knows the right thing to do and the 
right time for doing it, and thus gains a repu- 
tation for cleverness and for many virtues 
which a tactless woman would never win 
from her circle of acquaintances, no matter 
how excellent her qualities of both heart and 
head. The tactful woman is not only a pa- 
tient listener, but she is a thoroughly good 
one. She knows no weariness, even when she 
has heard the same story more than once 
from the same person, and she smiles in the 
right place, and appears to enjoy hearing 
jokes as much as her companion enjoys tell- 
ing them. Tact is a weapon guided with a 
multitude of precautions and innocent wiles 
by the wise, and it is only the wise who 
possess it. 



32 Home Helps 

Moths. — 1. Steep y^ pound of cayenne pepper 
in 1 gallon of water; add 2 drams of strychnia 
powder; strain and pour this tea into a shal- 
low vessel. Before unrolling a new carpet 
set the roll on each end alternately in this 
poisoned tea for 10 minutes, or long enough 
to wet its edges for at least an inch. After 
beating an old carpet, roll and treat its seams 
and edges to the same bath; let the carpet 
dry thoroughly before tacking it down in 
order to avoid the accidental poisoning of the 
tacker's fingers by the liquid. If preserved 
for future use, carefully label "poison." This 
preparation will not stain or disfigure carpets 
or corrode metals in contact with the carpet. 

2. If fine-cut tobacco be sprinkled under the 
edges of carpets and under places where bu- 
reaus, bookcases and the like may make it 
dark, the moths will be prevented from laying 
their eggs there, as it will drive them away. 

3. Tarred paper, the same as- is used for cov- 
ering roofs, when cut into slips and placed 
in convenient stituations under carpets and 
behind sofas and chairs in a room will repel 
the moth miller from depositing its eggs. If 
similar strips are placed inside the backs and 
seats of parlor suits, it will render the fur- 
niture moth proof. 4. Sprinkle furs or woolen 
stuffs, and the drawers or boxes in which they 
the kept, with spirits of turpentine, the un- 
pleasant smell of which will evaporate on ex- 
posure of the goods to the air. Camphor gum 
is also a preventative for moths. Goods packed 
in a cedar chest are moth proof. If clothing 
is exposed to the air and well beaten occa- 
sionally it will prevent moths from depositing 
their eggs. Light and fresh air are the sworn 
foes of moths. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

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